Liquid filling machine



July 31, 1945. C W@ HEME 2,380,434

LIQUID FILLING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1941 2 sheets-sheet l1 Eff l :Il 7

INVENTOR.

BY Du, ATTORNEYS July 31 1945' c. w. HEINLE 2,380,434

LIQUID FILLING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1941 '2- Sheets-Sheet 2 BY M. E

ATTO ENEYS Patented JulyBI, 1945I LIQUID FILLING MACHINE can w. nelnle. am orange, N. J., mimmto American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 15. 1941, serial No. asas-i9 (ci. 25a-ssi) 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to machines for treating liquids which readily foam upon agitation and has particular reference to bursting the bubbles which constitute the foam by subjecting them to a heated gas.

In the filling of liquids such as beer, ale and other similar products into cans considerable difilculty sometimes is experienced with the foaming over of the liquid vbefore the can is sealed. Such foaming over of the liquid wastes the product and tends to cause slack nlling of the cans. In products such as beer and ale, two kinds of foam usually exist. One form of foam is oi a fine, creamy texture which for the most part consists of beer and carbon dioxide. This foam is desirable and preferably is retained. The other i'oam constitutes larger bubbles which for the most part are rich in air content. It is this latter type oi foam which causes the undesirable spilling I over and loss of product.

'I'he instant invention contemplates overcoming this diillculty by providing a foam destroying device which directs heated gas against the foam to expand and burst the bubbles.

An object therefore oi' the invention is the provision, in a can nlling machine for liquids which readily foam upon agitation. of devices which direct a heated gas against the foam to expand and burst the bubbles, to reduce the air content of the liquid and to prevent spilling over of the foam with its resultant slack lling of the can.

Another object is the provision of such a device wherein the bursting oi' the foam bubbles is effected by heated air which is directed into the head space o! the can.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description. which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a device embodying the instant invention. with parts broken away:

Fig. 2 isa horizontal section looking upwardly as taken substantially along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail taken substantially along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1, with parts broken Sway;

Fig. 4 Is a. horizontal section taken substantially along the line 4-4 in Fig. l, with parts broken away;

' Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 5 5 in Fig. 4, with parts broken away: and

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram of the electric apparatus used with the device.

As a preferred embodiment of the invention the drawings illustrate principal lparts of a conventional can filling machine containing the improved inventive parts in which cans A are filled with beer. The cans after illling are propelled across a stationary table II (Fig. 4) by a rotating turret I2 having spaced pockets I3 in which the lled cans are located. A curved guide rail I4, disposed adjacent the outer periphery of the turret, retains the cans in their pockets. 'I'lie turret is mounted on a vertical shaft I5 which is Journaled in bearings in the table and which may be rotated in any, suitable manner.

Filling of the beer into the cans agitates it and thereupon starts the forming of the air bubbles hereinbefore mentioned. In order to reduce the air content of the liquid and to prevent spilling of the foam over the edge of the cans, the latter immediately after filling are propelled through a de-foaming station B.

At the station B there is a de-foaming device which includes a vertical tubular casing 2| (Fig. l) which encloses a heating chamber 22. The bottom end ofthe casing is threaded and carries a nozzle 24 having a diametrically located narrow discharge slot 25 (see also Figs. 2 and 3)'. The

`upper end of the casing is also threaded and carries a cap 28 having a broad ilange 21.

The outside suri'ace of the casing 2l is protected against heat radiation by a surrounding cover or casing 3| which is. interposed between and held in place by the nozzle 24 and the cap 2l. The side walls of the cover are spaced away from the casing and the intervening space is illled with ilbrous heat resistant or insulating material l2. The cover is secured to a bracket 33 which is bolted to the table II.y This bracket constitutes the main support for the entire device.

Air under a slight pressure oi' from one to three pounds per square inch is introduced into the heating chamber 22 by way oi an inlet pipe 34. This pipe extends through the cover 3| and through the insulating material 32 and is threaded into the casing 2i near its upper end. The outer end o! the pipe connects with an air supply lino which includes a pressure regulator Il, a shutof! valve Il and a main supply pipe I1 which leads from any suitable supply of compressed air.

The air under pressure entering the heating u chamber 22 is 'immediately heated to a hllh temperature of approximately '100 F. This heating of the incoming air preferably is brought about by an electric heatingunit which includes a vertical coil 4l. The ends of the coil are formed with leadrods 42. 43 which extend up through insulating bushings 44 which are threaded into the cap 25 oi the casing 2l. The upper ends of the rods extend above the bushings and are connected to wires 45, 41 which lead to a suitable .source oi electric energy. Electric energy iiowing through the -coil heats it to the desired degree, -as hereinbeiore mentioned.

I'hus the air introduced into the heating chamber 22 is immediately heated and is forced down through the chamber by the incoming unheated air and thus flows out of the slot 25 in the nomle 24. The heated air issuing from the nozzle ilows down onto the top oi a filled can A passing under the device and impinges against the foam on the beer in the cans passing through the station. 'I'he heated air heats and expands the foam bubbles rich in air content and thus bursts them while leaving the creamy desirable CO: foam intact. Breaking of these large air bubbles reduces the air content of the liquid and also prevents the spilling over of the foam and thus prevents waste of the beer and slack nlling of the cans.`

Provision is made for cutting oi the ilow of hot air fromI the nozzle 24 when the machine stops operating. This is brought about by a cutof! valve 5l (Figs. 1 and 2) which is located within the casing 2l and which is disposed adjacent the nozzle slot 25. 'I'he valve is secured to the lower end of a vertical actuating rod 52 which extends up through a vent tube 53 disposed within the heating coil 4l. The lower end of the.vent tube terminates adjacent the valve 5| in spaced relation thereto while its upper end is secured in the casing cap 25.

The valve actuating rod 52 extends above the upper end of the vent tube 53 and is secured to .`am0vab1e core 55 o! a normally de-energized electric solenoid 56.

The solenoid is supported Vswitch 1I closes.

stitutes the main source of power for opinan.' --f the machine.

Reference should be now had to the wiring diagram in Fig. 6, which illustrates the circuits for the solenoid and the motor 5|. Electric energy for these circuits is supplied from any suitable source of such energy such as a generator 52. The nrst o! these circuits is aA motor circuit which includes a wire 55 leading trom the generator, a stop switch 65, a wire 51 the motor 6|, a wire l5, a coil 58 of a normally open relay switch 1l, and a wire 12 connecting again with the generator.

When the stop switch l5 is closed electric energy owing along this circuit excites the motor 5| and thus keeps the machine operating. This energy also energizes the coil 59 and holds the relay switch Hopen. The relay switch is part o! a solenoid circuit which includes the solenoid 56. The solenoid is connected by a wire 13 to the generator and by a wire 14 to the relay switch. The relay switch is also connected by a wire 15 to the generator. i

Hence when the stop switch 55 is opened for any reason, the motor circuit is broken and the motor 5l stops. 'I'he machine thereupon ceases its operations. This breaking of the motor circuit de-energizes the coil 55 and hence the relay Closing of the relay switch establishes the solenoid circuit and energy from the generator 52 ilows along the circuit and energizes the solenoid 55. The valve 5| in the heating chamber 22 thus closes the nozzle. 24 and stops the ilow oi hot air therefrom. with attendant venting of the chamber as hereinbefore mentioned.

When the stop switch 55 is again closed, the motor circuit is re-established. The motor and the machine again start operating. The coll of n the relay switch 1l again becomes energized and this opens the relay switch. The solenoid circuit is thus broken and the solenoid 55 becomes de-energized. 4This permits the spring 59 in the solenoid tovlii't the valve actuating rod on vertical adjusting screws 51 which are held. l 52 and the valve 5i and thereby Open the 1102212 by nuts 58 in the flange 21 oi the casing cap 26.

A compression spring 59 located within the solenoid'normally supports the core and the valve rod and thus holds the valve aboveand away from the nozzle slot 25. A disc SII of insulating material is secured to the actuating rod and contaihs two holes into which the lead rods 43, 44 This disc prevents the actuating rod from turning and holds the .valve in alignment with the nozzle slot 25.

When the solenoid 55 is energized. its core 55 is drawn down and this moves down the actuatins rod 52 and the valve 5I. The valve thus closes against and covers the nozzle slot 25 and this cuts on the iiow of hot air from the nozzle. The unused hot air in the heating chamber 22 thereupon flows up through the vent tube 53 thus uncovered and is vented at the upper end of the tube to the outside atmosphere. When the valve 5| is in its operative open position to permit flow o! hot air through nozzle slot 25, the'valve is seated against the inner open end o! the vent tube 53 which has a beveled seat (Fig. 3) for thlspurpose. to prevent the heated air from escaping trom the chamber 22 through said tube. Energizing of the solenoid is eected in time with the stopping oi the filling machine and tor this purpose the solenoid is connected in circuit 24. The hot air from the heating chamber 22 is thus released and again issues forth from the nozzle to burst the foam bubbles on the moving cans as hereinbefore explained.

l0 Itz is thought that the invention and many o! its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will' be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement oi the Il parts without departing from the spirit and scope oi' the invention or sacrificing all oi its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof. 'Y

I claim:

l. In a machine for treating foam on liquids in containers, the combination of devices for supporting a liquid illled container. instrumentalities for heating a gas to a temperature higher than that of said foam, a nozzle connected with said heating instrumentalities having an elongated slot therein for continuously projecting the heated gas downwardly and gently in an unbroken elongatedcurtain, and means for relatively moving said container and said nozzle whereby the foam is passed through the curtain of heated gas and the bubbles constituting the foam are broken by expansion due to the increased temperature imparted to the foam with an electric motor 5I (Fig. 6) which conbubbles by said heated gas.

2. Ina machine for treating foam on liquids in containers advanced through the machine in a predetermined path of travel, the ycombination of a casing enclosing a heating chamber having means therein for heating air to a .predetermined temperature, a nozzle on said chamber having an elongated slot therein disposed substantially normal to the path of travel of the containers for projecting the heated air into a predetermined region, a valve controlling the opening and closing of said nozzle, an electric solenoid connecting with said valve, a conveyor for propelling liquid -iilled containers into and through said heated region for subjecting the foam on the liquid in the container to said heated air to expand and burst the foam bubbles, and electric means for actuating the machine including said conveyor and for energizing and dce-energizing said solenoid to open and close said valve in accordance with the respective starting and stopping of the machine.

3. In a machine for treating foam on liquids in containers, the combination of a conveyor for propelling liquid lled containers along a predetermined path of travel, a casing disposed adjacent the path of travel of the containers and enclosing a heating chamber for heating air to a predetermined temperature, a nozzle on said casing having an elongated slot therein disposed substantially perpendicular to the path Y o'f travel of the containers for discharging the heated air against the foam on the liquid in the containers to expand and burst the foam bubbles, valve means ior opening and closing said nozzle, and a vent tube in said casing for venting the heated air from the heating chamber when the valve is closed.

4. In a machine for treating foam on liquids in containers, the combination of a conveyor for propelling liquid iilled containers along a predetermined path of travel, a casing disposed adjacent the path of travel of the containers and enclosing a chamber for heating a gaseous medium to a predetermined temperature, a nozzle on said casing having an elongated slot therein disposed substantially perpendicular to the path of travel of the containers for discharging the heated medium against the foam on the liquid in the containers to expand and burst the foam bubbles, movable valve means adjacent said slot for opening and closing said nozzle, a vent tube in said casing for venting the heated air from the heating chamber, and means for opening and closing said valve, Whereby the valve when in open position to expose said slot is seated against said vent tube to close the latter against the passage of heating medium therethrough, said valve when in the opposite position to close said slot being spaced from said vent tube to permit passage therethrough of the heated medium to vent said chamber.

CARL W. HEINLE. 

